Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-19
RICHER THAN GOLD.
A Remarkable MsdstOn g in Georgia, Know
TO be Fully $50 Years Old.


ATLANTA, GA March 1.-THE recent
death of man in Banks county, who had
been bitten by mad dog, has revived in
terest in madstopes, of which there are
several in various parts OF the state.
There is one in Fairburn which is said to
have been successfully applied to about
100 persons. But by all odds the most
notable stone in the south is that owned
by Mrs. L. w. Gibson, In Columbia coun
tv. 1t derives interest not alone from the
wonderful cures which it has effected, but
from its antiquity and the manner in
which it came into possession OF the
family.
In I743 q vessel from the East Indies
touched the coast Oh North Carolina,
where the great-grandfather of Mrs. Glib
sons husband lived at the time. A pas.
senger who was sick was put of, and
Mr.: Gibson took him to his home, where
the stranger was welcomed and nursed
back to health. When about TO take his
his departure he took from his pocket two
stones, one of which he presented to Mr..
Gibson, telling him that 1t was Of great
age, as he mad been assured
BY the gentleman from whom he
mad procured it in Bombay that it
possessed remarkable powers in all cases
of blood poisoning, whether il resulted
from corrosion of foreign substa Ices,
from the bites Of animals or insects of
every description, or from incubation.
Even in cases Of smallpox, added the
stranger, the stone had been known to
extract the poison from the system, leav-
ing the patient thoroughly restored to
health. The stone was of q grayish-black
color, and perfectly smooth. 1t was enc
inch in length, three-quaIters OF an inch
in width and half an inch thick.
The stranger disappeared, and the stone
was laid by as g curiosity, to remind the
family of its curious guest. No faith was
placed in its medical qualities. 1t was
not long, however, before an event hap
pened which brought the stone into high
repute. A member of Mr.. GibsOn's fam
ily was bitten by a rattlesnake. All
known remedies failed. The patient had
passed into paroxysms, and all hope mad
fed. 1t was then that one OF the chill
CEen thought cf the mysterious stone. As
no harm could be done,it was determined
to use IT, Au inCi5iOn WAS made in the
patients lee, one inch above the spot bit
ten, and the stone was inserted. As the
stone adhered q scream of uuutteTaOle
anguish escaped the lips Of the sufferer,
as if life Itself was being drawn out.
In less than one minute the stone had
changed its color from dark gray to q
MISUNDERSTANDING green. 1t was pulled
out and soaked in warm water, and ap-
piled again and again, its adhesive power
growing less and less until at last it re-
fused to stick. By this time the patient
fell off into heavy sleep, only to awake
10 consciousness of restored health.
He lived for thirty years after the event
bappened II was thus that the stone
which was only kept IS a Jest. became an
object which money could not bay. From
all parts of the coast there were calls fOI
the wonderful stone. The family subse-
quently moved to Columbia county, in
this state, where fer 100 years this stone
has been an object of curiosity to physi
clans and people IN general.
The recent history Of this remarkable
stone is quite as strange as that OF It's
earlier years. curing the bites of mao
dogs and cats, the stings Of scorpions
apd snakes and the incubation Of poison.
Gus substances. In 1872 Abe LOckhart, 6
ColOred man in Columbia county, was
bitten by pilot snake. The stone was
applied to the bite. The wonderful part
of the story is that the man, who had in
herited scTOfula, was cured of that dis
ease, and has had since no return of the
malady. Seven years ago Shack Green,
who lived nine miles away, was bitten by
a rattlesnake. When found he was
unconscious. He was put into wagon
and driven the nine miles TO the
home Of HRS. Gibson. By that time the
victims leg had swollen to three times
its usual size. AS soon as the stone was
g,-T-
as it had its first subject, over century
before A case which attracted wide
spread attention, however, was that Of
Miss Williams, who lived near the plan.
tation of General Robert Toombs in
Wilkes county. In 1888 Miss Williams
was inOculated from virus obtained from
mad COW. When the fact was d!sCOV.
cred it sent q shock through the cOmmu-
nifty. The lady's friends at once resolved
to use Mrs. Gibson's maidstone, which
was entirely successful in warding
of the anticipated danger. A strange
case, however, was that of tho two grand
children of Mrs. MCGinty of Norwood,
who had been bitten and scratched fear
fully by mad cat. The stone was 40
piled TO the two alternately. The children
were taken to the house by th-.t two
urcles who, sixty years before, had been
themselves bitten by mad dogs and owed
their rescue to the same stone.
In fact, there is hardly community in
the Caroinas, Georgia and Alabama in
which the fame of this renowned stone
mas not been heard of. Frequently the
country home of Mrs. Gibson at Appling
is surrounded by vehicles bearing the
afflicted from distant points anxious to
he restored to health.
v---8.-
{ s advice 20 Mothers.